Welcome to the World, No. 7 Billion

Halloween isn’t celebrated all over the world, but the day will be marked with a universal milestone:

The United Nations says the world’s population will reach 7 billion people on October 31, 2011.

The UN agency responsible for marking the milestone, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), has created a campaign called 7 Billion Actions to build awareness around the challenges — and opportunities — of a world with a population of 7 billion.

The initiative calls on individuals and organizations to commit to making our world healthier and more sustainable. The UNFPA calls the historic 7 billion milestone “an opportunity to rethink relationships with one another and with the planet.”

“The world population is interconnected like never before,” said UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin. “I see the milestone of 7 Billion as a call to action to ensure that everyone can enjoy equal rights and dignity.”

Considering the rough state of our world, any reason to bring out the best in ourselves should be welcomed. After all, we’re just going to keep growing.

And, how quickly we’ve gotten here:

*The world’s population hit 1 billion people in 1804.

*In 1927, 123 years later, it doubled to 2 billion.

*It took only 72 years — in 1999 — for our population to hit 6 billion people.

*It is now a mere 12 years later and our population has increased another billion.

That’s a lot of people.

“Some say our planet is too crowded. I say we are seven billion strong,” said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “In our increasingly interconnected world, we all have something to give and something to gain by working together. Let us unite, seven billion strong, in the name of the global common good.”

For more information on the movement and to share ways you are a making a difference in this world, visit 7billionactions.org.

Also check out the new music video called United, a world anthem created by more than 50 musicians from 13 countries at facebook.com/7billionactions.